Toy.



B. E. MARSHALL.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.6,1913,

Patented June 9, 19143;.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 1.

@Dnen/wo am Q3 B. E. MARSHALL.

TOY.

APPLIATION FILED NOV. 6,1913. u 1,0995507. v I Patented June V9, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BRUNO E. MHALL, 0I WILLIAMS, ARIZONA..

Specification of Letters Patent.

.estimation filed liovember 6p 1913. Serial No. 729,601.

Patented J une 9, 1914.

Tall whom t may concern Beit known that BRUNO E. MARSHALL, a Subject of the GermanEmper-or, residing at Williams, in the county of Coconino and State of Arizona, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of Vwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a toy, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a to which is so constructed that a' number o small balls, such as marbles, ma travel along a series of inclined tracks until they reach the bottom of a trough through which an endless conveyor travels and are then carried by the endless conveyer through the trough so that they will be returned to the upper ernd of the uppermost track.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the lowerend portion of the trough that the marbles will be held in the a proper position for the cups of the endless conveyer to engage the marbles and carry them u the trough.

Ano' r object of the invention is to provide an improved device for receiving the marbles at the upper end of the trough and depositing them upon the uppermost track without danger of the marbles leaving the track when depositedthereon.

Another-object of the invention is proy Vide an improved guiding plate for guiding the marbles from one track to another. Another object of the invention is/ to so conruct the toy that itmay be formed from a comparatively few -number'o parts which are cheap to manufacture and easy to put toy ther.

This invention is illustrated in the accom plnying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved toy with one of the walls of the trough partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a frag- -mentary sectional view through the toy;

Fig 3 is a fragmentary view of one @orner portion of the toy with one of the side walls of the trough removed; Fig. It is a perspective view of the upper-end portion of the trough; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower-end portion of the trough; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the relative arrangement ofthe Wires which form the y' tricks.'

The fraineo this toy eomprises the base 10 side bars 11 and 12, and top her 13 The" side bar 11 i's taller than the side bar l2 and therefore the top bar 13 will be inclined as shown in Fig. 1.

The tracks which have been designated by the numerals 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 in Fig. 1 are. arranged, as shown, with the upper end of each track positioned just beneath the lower end of the track above it so that a marble rolling down one track will drop into the upper-end portion of the track beneath it, and will thus roll from' the top of the frame by a series of cross paths until it finally reaches the bottom of the frame. It is, of course, obvious that the frame mcy be provided with as many tracks as desire frame. Each of these tracks is provided with the side wires 19 and bottom wires 20, the bottom wires 2O at the lower end of each track being spread apart so that when.

a marble 21 reaches the lower end of the according to the height of the tracko it will fall between the spread lower end portions of the wires 20 onto the upper end portion of the track beneath it.

A guiding plate 22 is provided at the lower end of each track and extends downwardly between the wires 20 at an angle to the side bars to which it is secured so that when the marble strikes the guiding plate, it will be caused to roll in the direction of the ,lower end o the track upon which it falls,

and thus prevented from becoming jammed betfwenthe wires of the track upon which it a s.

A trough is carried by the frame so that mounted between the heads 26 upon the pm 29 which has its ends passing through the openings 27. An arm 30 extends from 'theinner head 26 so that the upper end of the trough may be connected with' the top bar 13 by means of the screw 81. The lower end portions of the Walls 24 and 25 are formed in the enlarged feet 32 and 33 .which extend beneath the bottom 23 and are provided with I openings 34 so that a pulley wheel 35 mal be rigidly mounted upon the pin 36 Whicy has itsend `portions extending throngyther f 11o The marbles mav be place upon the track.

- trough A disk 37 is rigidl mounted upon the outer-end portion of t e pin 36 and carries a handle 38 so that the pin and pulley wheel 35 can be rotated by turning the disk 37. lt is, of course, obvious that if desired, a suitable belt leading from suitable motor may be passed around the disk 37 to rotate the disk when the motor is running.

An arm 39 extends `from the foot 33 and is provided with an opening 40 so that a screw 41 may be passed through the opening 40 to connect the arm 39 with the' lowenen portion of the side bar 1Q. A guard plate 41 extends from the foot 32 transversely across the space between the two feet 3Q and 33 to prevent the marbles fromrolling out of the lower end vof the trough when deposited therein. An endless belt 42 extends around. the pulley wheels 28 and 35 with its u per flight passing through the trough an Aits lower flight passing beneath the trough. Buckets 43 are carried by the eonveyer belt 42 to engage the marbles, as shown in Fig. 1, and carry the same to the upper end of the trough.

A chute 44 which is formed of sheet metal is secured to the upper end portion of the sidebar 11. This chute is provided with a bottom 45, end wall 46, and a side wall 47 which is extended beyond the inner end of the chute to form an attaching strip 48. This strip 48 is secured to the bar 11 of the screw 49` and has its free-end portion 40 bent as shown in Fig. 2 to form a guard vwhich will prevent any danger of the marble rolling oil' the upper end track 14 when deposited thereon. The side wall 51 is provided with an o ning 52 so'that the buckets 43 carried by t e belt 42 can pass through this side wall. A second chute 53 is secured to the lower end portion of the side bar 12 beneath the lower end of the track 18. This chute 53 is also formed of sheet metal and is provided with a lip 54 which extends into the lower-end portion of the trou h above the foot 33 so that the marbles will be deposited in the lower end portion of the after they have reached the lower end of the track 18.

The operation of this to is as follows:

14, or if desired, may be placed one at a time in the lower-end portion of the trough and conveyed to the u per end of the track 14 by means of the en less conveyer. When the marbles reach the upper end of the trough, they fall into the chute 44 and roll along this chute onto the track 14. They then roll along the track 14 until they reach the lower end of the track and then drop between the wires 20 onto the track 15. The

marbles will then pass from the track 15 to the ones beneath it in the manner already de scribed until the reach the track 18. `Wheii the marbles reac the lower end of the track.

18, they drop into the chute 53 and roll out of the chute along the lip 54 into the lower-end portion oi the trough. The per-v son operating the toy continuously turns the disk 37 and it will thus be seen that when the marbles tall into the lower end portions oi' the trough that the buckets 43 will en gage the marbles and carry them up the trough to the chute. 44. lt will thus be seen that. when this toy is in operation, there will be at all times marbles rolling along the tracks and other marbles moving up the trough.

A toy has therefore been provided which will be easy and cheap to manufacture and which will not be liable to get easily out of order, since the device is composed of a comparatively few number of pieces which are strongly put together and easy to tix or re` place in case they become broken or Worked loose.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy of the character,v described com prising a traine, inclined tracks carried by said frame, the upper end of each track being positioned beneath the lower end of the track above it, each track being formed from a plurality of rods arranged to pro vide side rods and central rods, the central rods having their lower ends spread to provide enlarged openings, uide plates carried by the said frame andt extending down wardly at an angle to said trame between the spread lower ends of said central rods, reroluble members for traveling along said tracks and being of such size that they will pass between the spread lowcr ends of said central rods onto a second track, and means for returning the revoluble members from the lower end of the lower track to the up per end of the upper track.

2. A toy of the character described cornprising a. frame, 'a plurality of inclined tracks carried by the said frame and positioned with the upper end of each track beneath the lower end of the track above the same, revoluble members for traveling along said tracks from one to another, and means for returning said revoluble members from the lower end of the lower track to the lupper end of the upper track, said means com-- prising a trough, means for conveying said revoluble mem ers up said trough, a chute carried by said frame adjacent the upper end of said trough and extending to the upper end of said upper track, a guard str1p extending from said chute across said upper track and having its free-end portion bent to form a guard extending partially alon f the upper-end portion of said upper track and a chute carried by said frame adjacent the lower end of said lower track for receiving said revoluble members and depositing the same in the lower-end portion of said trough.

Y tracks carried by said frame iny communicatlng relation,

a trough carried by said frame, said trough being formed from a strip of Amaterial bent to form a bottom and side "Walls, the upper-end portions of said side vWalls beingl pro-vided with enlarged heads extending beneath said bottom, attaching means carried by one of said heads, a roller rotatably mounted between said heads, enlarged feet formed at the lower ends of said Walls and extending beneath saifd bottom, attaching means carried by one of said feet, an abutment strip carried by the other of said -feet and extending transversely across said trough, a roller rotatably mounted between said feet, an-endless conveyer passing about said rollers and having its upper Hight extending through 'said trough, means for rotating one of said rollers to operate said endless conveyer, a chute adjacent the upper end ofsaid trough communicating With the upper end of the upper oneof said, tracks, and a chute adjacent the lower end of the lower one of said tracks communicating with the lower end portion of said trough.

4. A toy of the character described comprising a frame, a plurality of inclined tracks carried by said frame in communicating relation, a trough carried by said frame, said trough comprising a bottom, side Walls extending beyond the upper and lower ends of said bottom, attaching means carried b one of said Walls, an abutment plate carrie by the lower-end portion of one of said Walls and extending transversely across said trough, rollers carried by the upper and lower-end portions of said side Walls, an endless conveyer passing around said rollers and through said trough, a chute leading from the upper-end portion of said trough to the upper one of said tracks, and a chute leading" from the lower one of said tracks to the lower end portion of said trough.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BRUNO E. MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

' C. E. S'rAcKUs,

OLoF SVEDIN. 

